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BATTLE OF PITTSBURG MNDING-VOLUNTEERS OF OHIO. 
Y/ /i,^\\.K5.^^ OF 

'JOHN SHERMAN, QF^bllO, 

In Senate of the Uaited States, May 9, .1'862. 



The Senate having proceeded to consider the- 
following resolution submitted by Mr. Sherman 
on the 6th instant : 

Resolved, That the Secretaty of "tt'ar be directed to com- 
. mucicate to the Senate copies of all otficial reports from 
all officers iu command, relating to the recent battles at 
Pittsburg Landing on the 6th, 7lh, and 8th days of April 
last- 
Mr. SHERMAN said : Mr. President, my 
• purpose in submitting this resolution is to 
place before the Senate and the country, as 
soon as practicable, the facts, in an authentic 
form, connected with the battle of Pittsburg 
Landing. And, sir, I especially desire to show 
the part taken by the voluuteers from Ohio in that 
bloody and most important contest. Like other 
citizens of Ohio, I ielt keenly the indiscrimi- 
nate imputation cast by the earlier accounts of 
the battle, especially in the Chicago papers, 
upon the Ohio volunteers. This imputation was 
subsequently sanctioned by an innuendo from a 
Senator from Kentucky not distinguished for 
his sympathy for the cause in which our troops 
are engaged. I knew very well, that when the 
full details of that battle were known, it 
would be found that the volunteers from Ohio 
had maintained in that battle the same reputa- 
tion for courage, for endurance, for patriotic 
devotion to duty, they had gained on every 
battle-field west of the Alleghany mountains. 
If there are any exceptions, if any officer or 
soldier from Ohio failed to do his duty, I do 
*not desire to shield him ; but, ascertaining the 
facts, I wish to submit his conduct to the judg- 
ment of his countrymen. I do not wish the acts 
of a few to stain the honors won by their brave 
comrades. I do not mean, if I can prevent it, 
that the just share of Ohio in the dangers, the 
sacrifices, the honors and triumphs of this war 
for national existence shall be tarnished by 
friend or foe, by the rivalry of loyal States,' or 
the. sneers of citizens who do not and will not 
share in the dangers of the battle-field. Twenty- 
five regiments of Ohio volunteers were actually 
engaged in that battle, nine on Sunday the 6th, 
and the whole of them on Monday, and several 
regiments were iu the divisions which arrived 
on the battle-field on Monday evening and 
Tuesday, but not in time to take an efiective 
part in the batt'e. Of these, three regiments 
have been singled out as deserving of censure. 
They are the fifty-third, Colonel Appier ; sev- 
entv-first. Colonel Mason ; and the seventy- 
seventh, Lieutenant Colonel De Hass. The 
fifty-third and seventy seventh, two of them, 
formed a part of the third brigade, under 
Colonel Hildebrand. It is of these regiments 
the accusation is made that they ran without 
firing a gun, and which, by the indiscriminate 
license of the press, has been extended to 
" Ohio troops" generally. I have carefully 
read all that I could find wrftten or printed in 
regard to these regiments, and as the accusa- 
tion affects deeply the honor of thousauda of 



men who have left their homes to defend their 
country, and, indirectly, the pride of all the citi- 
zens of Ohio in the courage of her sons, I will 
state as accurately as I can ascertain the con- 
duct of each of these regiments. 

The fifty-third regiment was recruited in 
several counties along the Ohio river, chiefly 
from the countieS of Lawrence, Athens, Seiota, 
and Jackson, of Ohio, and Greenup, Boyd, 
and Lewis counties in Kentucky. It was thus 
formed in a region where the citizens are as 
brave, hardy, and enterprising as in any portion 
of the United States. Colonel Appier, of Ports- 
mouth, Ohio, served with credit as a captain in 
the three months' volunteers, and was recom- 
mended by General Rosecranz to the Governor 
for promotion. He is a man of character and 
standing' in his locality, having been auditor 
and probate judge. The regiment was raw, 
just recruited, and did not receive their arms 
until after their arrival at Paducah, on their 
way to the battle-field. This regiment was 
encamped on the extreme left of General Sher- 
man's division, slightly in the advance, but 
near to. General Prentiss's right wing. It con- 
sisted of about four hundred and fifty effective 
men, two companies being out on picket duty. 
It was here th&t the first attack of the enemy 
was made. On Sunday morning the rebels 
advanced in force, subsequently ascertained to 
be ten regiments of infantry, supported by ar- 
tillery. 

I now quote from an interesting account re- 
cently published by an intelligent gentleman 
from Athens, Ohio, who visited the battle-field, 
and details the result of his inquiries : 

" Tlie fifty-third in the meantime had been drawn up in 
line of battle b.r Colonel Appier. They first formed in front 
of their camp," but as the rebels advanced upon them in' 
overwhelming numbers, they fell back to the rear of it, 
where they lay under cover of the rise of ground upon which 
their camp was stationed. As soon as' the rebels advanced 
within near range, they rose and fired. They immediately 
fell and reloaded, and, then gave the rebels another volley, 
when Colon»l Apple:*' gave the order ' retreat ! ' He then 
ran for the river, and was not again seen by his men during 
that day or ilonday. 

" Lieutenant Colonel Fulton followed the regiment in its 
retreat, and rallied the men in the rear of the eighteenth 
Illinois, and they fought under his command the remainder 
of the day and Monday.' 

Colonel Hildebrand, commanding the brig- 
ade, in his official report says: 

" The fifty -third regiment, after forming in line of battle, 
under my orders, fired two rounds, and immediately fell 
back into the woods. It appear.^ from the report of Colonel 
Appier, that apprehending a llank movement on his left, he 
ordered a retreat, but subsequently rallied in the rear of the 
I'ighteenth Illinois. This regiment became separated from 
iny com'nand, and its movements throughout the day were 
general." ^ 

Again, he says: 

" The fifty -third regiment I have referred to alrea<iy. The 
reghncnt, under command of Colonel J. J. Appier, fell back 
after two rounds under tho order of Colonel Appier. Soon 
afterwards, as I am informed, he left the field, and was not 
with tho regiment during the day or Monday. Lieutenant 
Colonel Fulton, in command of the regiment, the adjutant, 
and company officers generally, beteffecl witli becouuBg 
bravery," ^ 



"^.^r 



EVl'i 



SA- 



I do not wish to extenuate the conduct of Col- 
onel Appier; but it is manifest that this regi- 
ment simply obeyed his orders in their retreat, 
but not his example. They retreated in con- . 
fusion, but re-formed in the rear of the eiojh- | 
teenth Illinois. His conduct should not tarnish 
the fair fame of brave men who, no doubt, would 
have resisted this attack bravely but for his 
order to retreat. The impetuous charge of an 
attacking enemy forced this, and, at a later 
period in the day, every regiment in the front 
line before it, and if the regiment did not make 
so determined a stand as the others, it was not 
the fault of the men. That it will redeem its 
honor, and place its colors side by side with the 
bravest, I have no doubt. A gentleman per- 
fectly conversant with the material of the regi- 
ment, says of them : ' 

" Of the personal bravery of the ofiBcers and men from 
Athens county, those best acqnaintQd with them have no 
doubt. They are inteliigeut, highly respectable, and fear- 
less. Had we been called upon to select men most likely 
to honor us by deeds of noble daring upon the Held, they 
■wouid have been among the chosen. 2%e fault cannot be 
theirs." 

I am now informed that Colonel Appier has 
been cashiered, and the fifty-third, under an- 
other commander, will more than expiate on 
the enemy his fault and the cloud it has brought 
upon them. 

As to the conduct of the seventy-seventh 
regiment, the greatest misapprehension exists. 
The first dispatch stated, "the seventy-seventh 
retreated without firing a gun." This regi- 
ment fought bravely on the Gth, maintaining 
the front line of defence on their own ground 
for two hours; nor did they fall back until com- 
pletely overpowered with superior numbers. 
Nor did they throw away their arms or flee in 
disorder ; but, in connection with troops from 
other States, continued in the fight during Sun- 
day and Monday, occupying their old camp on 
Monday night. This regiment was raw and 
undisciplined, like the fifty-thir^l, scarcely fa- 
miliar with the use of their arms, except that 
familiarity which almost every western man ac- 
quires with the sports of boyhood. It was re- 
cruited in or near Marietta, on the Ohio river, 
where the best blood of New England and Vir- 
ginia has mingled for two generations. It is 
the concurrent testimony of^o&icers and men 
that the fifty-seventh and seventy-seventh Ohio, 
although their left flank was exposed by the 
retreat of the fifty-third, maintained their ad- 
vanced position with marked courage. These 
regiments were formed in line by Colonel Hil- 
debrand, and early in the attack advanced be 
yond their lines down a hill-side, and to within 
one hundred yards of the enemy, who were 
posted in a thick wood. Their superior forces, 
however, compelled these two regiments to fall 
back sooner than the brigade of Sherman's 
division on their right, but not until they had 
contested the f<^ for at least two hours. The 
only wonder is, that raw troops, who had their 
arms only three or four weeks, should have 
made so sturdy a defence against superior num- 
bers. 

The seventy-seventh regiment lost two hun- 
dred^ and twenty-one in killed, wounded, and 
missing — ampl^ evidence of the severity of the 



S^^ 



contest. Few regiments can show a more fear- 
ful loss than this. It is true that in the pursuit 
on Tuesday following, the official report of Gen- 
eral Sherman condemns the conduct of this 
regiment severely. I will place General Sher- 
man's report side by side with Colonel Hilde- 
brand's. 

Gen.. Sherman says Colonel Hildebrand 
of the pursuit on Tues- sajs : 
day: 

"About half a mile from" "On the 8th instant, in 
the torks was a clear field, compliance with your order, . 
through which the road I marched my brigade, ac- 
passed, and immedially be- companied by a large cav- 
yond a space of some two airy force, also by Colonel 
tiundred yards of falh.n tim- Buckland's brigade, on the 
her, and beyond an extensive Corinth road, about four 
camp. The enemy's cavalry miles from camp. Haling in 
could be seen in this camp, an open field, skirmishers 
and after a reconnoissance, were thrown forward, who 
I ordered the two advance discovered rebel cavalry in 
companies of the Ohio sev- considerable force, exhibit- 
onty-seventh, Colouel Hilde- ing a disposition to fight, 
brand , to deploy as skirmish- The skirmishers immediately, 
ers, and the regiment itself fired upon them, when the 
forward into lino, with an in- seventy seventh regiment, 
terval of one hundred yards, under command of Lieuten- 
In this order I advanced can- ant Colonel De Hass, was or- 
tiously, until the skirmishers dercd up to support them. 
were engaged. Taking it Soon after forming in line a 
for gr.inled this disposition large body of cavalry made a 
would clear the camp, I held bold and dashing charge on 
Colonel Dickey's fourth II- the skirmishers and thewhole 
linois cavalry ready for the regiment. So sudden and 
charge. The enemy's cav- rapid was the charge, shoot- 
airy came down boldly to the ing our men with carbines 
charge, breaking through the and revolvers, that fney had 
Jine of skirmishers, when the not time to reload, and fell 
regiment of infantry, without back, hoping our cavalry 
'■ausc, broke, threw away would cover the retreat. 
their guns and fled. The Unhappily, our cavalry were 
ground was admirably adap- not siilficien'ly near to ren- 
ted to a defence of infantry der essential assistance. The 
against cavalry, the ground rebel cavalry literally rode 
being miry and covered with down the iniantry, shooting, 
fallen timber. sabering, andtrampling them 

" As the regiment of in- under foot." 
fantry broke, Dickey's cav- 
alry began to discharge their 
carbines, and fell into disor- 
der " 

It is obvious, from a comparison of these 
reports, that this raw regiment of volunteers, 
already weakened by detachments for skirmish- 
ing and by loss and fatigue in two days' hard 
fighting, had to meet an impetuous attack from 
cavalry, an attack more than any other dreaded 
by undisciplined troops. General Sherman 
may have been conscious of the advantage the 
character of the ground and the fallen timber 
gave them over cavalry, and experienced troops 
would no doubt have availed themselves of this 
advantage. But, sir, was it reasonable to ex- 
pect this of troops like these, exhausted by two 
days' battle, and, perhaps, seeing for the first 
time an impetuous attack of cavalry ? I do 
not think so. Regular troops, taught by dis- 
cipline that infantry well posted can always re- 
sist the attack of cavalry, might have repelled 
this charge ; but I cannot see in the statement 
of either of those officers any just ground of 
accusation against the courage of this regi- 
ment. And, sir, I will not be accused of par- 
tiality when I say that in my jndgment the 
language of General Sherman is too severe a 
censure for such a repulse, and at any rate 
Colonel Dickey's Illinois cavalry are involved 
in the same censure. 

The seventy finst regiment was one of the 
last recruited in Ohio. It was recruited in the 
western part of the State, chiefly in Clark, Mi- 



[/ 



ami, Logan, andother adjacent counties. The 
material of this regiment is fully equal to any 
raised in Ohio. When they passed through 
Cincinnati to the field of conflict they excited 
attention for the fine appearance of the men. 
They were strong, active, healthy soldiers, most 
of them farmers, accustomed to out-door work, 
and admitted to be the best material for an ar- 
my. That such a regiment should show cow- 



all the regiments engaged who gathered on the 
banks of the river; and a deeper shame still 
upon the man who would tarnish the fair name 
of a State of two and a half millions of free 
people, which has' now in the field eighty thou- 
sand sons, who have won honors on every battle- 
field in the valley of the Mississippi. 

That some of the volunteers of Ohio formed 
a part of the' mass of disorganized troops hud- 



ardice is impossible. I regret that I have not j died on the banks of the river, I do not deny ; 
been able to see the official reports of the brig- 1 but these troops were from all the States repre- 
ade of which it formed a part, so that an au- I sented in the battle ; they were from each regi- 
thentic statement might be made of the accu- j ment, each squadron, and battery. The same 
satiou against this regiment; but sufficient is spectacle can be witnessed in every severe con- 
known to mitigate, if not entirely to relieve the i test. In the recent battle at Williamsburg 
regiment from the charge made against it. It } armed dragoons drove them back to their ranks, 
was formed in line when the attack of the ene- ; Deserters from duty, to excuse their own cow- 
my was made in the morning. It is charged ardice, generally spread the reports of disaster, 
that the colonel, at the first fire of the enemy, I surprise, defeat. At the very moment they 
left the field, and was not seen by his regiment j were chattering with fear, in blind cowardice 
during: the battle. Lieutenant Colonel Kyle, a ! rushing upon vessels bringing reinforcements, 



brave and meritorious officer, was soon afrer 
shot dead in the presence of his troops. His 
death left the regiment without a commander, 
and it fell into confusion. The regiment,' how- 
ever, voluntarily re-formed its lines in the rear 
of McClernand's divisiop, and was under arms 
during Sunday and Monday. 

I have thus, Mr. President, stated the allega- 
tions made against the only Ohio regiments 
whose conduct at Pittsburg Landing has been 
questioned. I have no desire to conceal or 
palliate any neglect of duty, but simply to pre- 
sent such facts as have been developed from 
the multitude of statements published in the 
papers, relying, however, chiefly on official re- 



the great mass of the army of General Grrant 
was stubbornly contesting every inch, and thus 
saved the brave and the timid alike from utter 
destruction. 

I desire now to call the attention of the Sen- 
ate to the conduct of other Ohio regiments in 
this battle. 

The next brigade to the right of Hildebrand'a 
was that of Colonel Buckland, and was com- 
posed of three Ohio regiments — the seventy- 
second, ' Colonel Buckland; the forty eighth, 
Colonel Sullivan ; and the seventieth. Colonel 
Cockerell. A full and detailed account of the 
part taken by it is given by Colonel Buckland 
in his official report, extracts of which I will 



ports where they have been published. I re- read, as far more satisfactory than any state- 
gret that the documents called for by this reso- j ment I can make: 
lution have not sooner been published. It 
fully appears, however, that all the troops 
whose conduct is criticised were undisciplined, 
fresh from civil pursuits, not used to their arms, 
and were called upon to meet the first onset of 
superior numbers of disciplined troops, well 
commanded, choosin^i their own time and mode 
of attack, and making it with fierce impetuosi- 
ty. Who will dare to affirm that, under like 
circumstances, he would make a more vigorous 
defence than did the great bo^ly of these troops? 
It is easy for those who failed to respond to the 
call of their country to criticise those who ex- 
pose their lives in its defence. It is easy to 



" Between six ami seven o'clock on Suuday morning I 
was infornied that our pickets were tired upon. I imme- 
diately gave orders lor forming the brigade on the color line, 
which was pron.ptly done. About this time I was informed 
that the pickets were being driven in. I ordered the forty- 
eighth regiment, Colonel Sullivan, to advance in support of 
the pickets, which' he did, but discovered Jhat the ,§nemy 
had advanced in force to the creek, about eighty to one hun- 
dred r'lds in front. I immediately ordered the brigade to 
advance in line of battle. We had marched about thirty to 
forty rods, when we discovered the enemy and opened fire 
upon bim a'ong the whole line, which chocked his advance 
and causc'i him to fa 1 back. Discovering that he was push- 
ing a column up a narrow ravine, which* extended to the 
left of the seventy-second regiment to the flat at the creek, 
bearing somewhat to the right, I ordered the seventy-sec- 
ond to change front, so as to form a line parallel to the 
ravine, extending down to the flat, company B forming an 
angle across the head of the ravine. In this position our 



talk about courage and cowardice, marching | line was malnUiined for more than two hours under a deadly 
• . .1 1 .1. n- I- c fire from the encmv. Ollicers and men behaved with great 

into the cannon s mouth, repelling a charge of ^^^i^^^^ and bravery, keeping up a constant stream of firo 
cavalry with bayonets, resisting an attack by upon the enemy. He several times recoiled and rallied, but 
superior numbers, when one is 'comfortably U^ »ot''i^^"=f|;« after the action commenced until we w^^^^ 
t J , , „ -IT J 1 -1 1 u ■. t ordered to Kill back on the Purdy road, which we did in 

seated by the tire with Wlte and children about ; good order. Lieutenant Colonel Canfield,in command of 
but shame upon the coward who avoids the I the seventy-second regiment, was mortally wounded early 
dangers and exposure of war, and sneers at i ^^ the engagement, and was carried from the field." 



those who voluntarily assume all its perils for 
the noblest sentiment that can influence the 
conduct of men — the love of one's country. 

A double shame upon those who, with indis- 
criminate censure, would confound the brave 
men-, who, in the terrible battle of Sunday, by 
their unyielding courage and constancy, main- 
tained their position against greatly superior ■ lawyer in northern Ohio. They were assailed 



I engagement 
It must be remembered that this brigade oc- 
cupied the right of Colonel Hildebrand's brig- 
ade, and the centre of the division. It was 
composed of raw troops recruited in November 
and December last, and the officers were with- 
out experience — the colonel commanding 
whom I have the pleasure to know, being a 



numbers, and thus saved our country from a 
terrible disaster, and perhaps from dissolution. 



by overwhelming numbers, and yet these troops 
maintained their ground for hours. 1 can state 



with the promiscuous crowd of cowurds from 1 irom the highest authority that this brigade 



and two other brigades in this division, com- 1 Two regiments of Ohio troops, the'sixth and 
posed of Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa volunteers, | twenty-fourth, and thirtieth Indiana, formed a 
held their original position where they were at- 1 brigade under Colonel Ammen. This officer 
tacked at seven forty-five a.m. until ten o'clock, is brave, skilful, and experienced, and glo- 
when the enemy passed the left of the division, | riously won the star with which the President 
and their artillery enfiladed the line. Then, and and Senate have since honored him. The 
not till then, these brigades were ordered to fall 



back, and did so in order. Thej held their, 
second position until four p. m., and then fell 
back with the whole army to the third and last 
position, a mile from the river. This was 
maintained until reinforcements and night 
came, whea they slept on their arms. They 
formed the next day to the left of General 
Wallace's fresh division, and fought their way 
back to their old camp and occupied their 
tents. On Tuesday, Colonel Buckland's brig- 
ade was part of the pursuing force. The loss 
of this brigade in killed and wounded was two 
hundred and fifty-six, including several field 
officers, the seventy-second, under the immedi- 
ate command of Colonel Buckland, suffering 
most severely ; and yet this regiment, by misap- 
prehension, was confounded with another,' and 
so cruelly arraigned for cowardice. 1 can ap- 
preciate the feelings of a gallant officer in 
writing the following letter to the adjutant gen- 
eral of Ohio : 

Sir : I perceive by the Cincinnati and Louisville papers 
that the conduct of tbis brigade in tlie battle of Pittsburg bas 
been grossly misrepresented. I think the report of General 
Sherman will do us justice. * * * It is not true 
that we fled ; but, on the contrary; wc maintained our posi- 
tion more than two hours, and did not retire until the regi- 
ments on our left had given way , and we were ordered to fall 
back, which we did in good order. * * * We slept on 
our arms in line en Sunday night, and were in the thickest 
of the fight the next day, and Monuay night slept in the camp 
we started from Sunday morning. My brigade pursued the 
enemy some miles on the road to Corinth. Instead of being 
driven to the boats, as alleged by these newspaper corres- 
pondents, I have notseen the Tennessee river siuce we came 
to this camp, nearly four weeks siuce. It is hard, after hav- 
ing done our duty in such a battle as this, to be thus slan- 
dered. But I trust justice will yet be done us. 

Your obedient servant, R. S. BUCKIAND. 

When the seventieth regiment was falling 
back, portions of it became detached, but at 
once formed with other regiments. Colonel 
Ransom, of the eleventh lUiuois, thus mentions 
a timely reinforcement from this regiment: 

" I was here joined by Adjutant Phillips, of the seventieth 
Obio, and forty o( his men, who took the left of my regiment, 
and fought gallantly with us through the remainder of the 
day. We immediately moved Ibrward and met the enemy, 
in rear of the camps of the eleventh and twentieth Illinois, 
when we drove them slowly back under a heavy fire, and 
while a rebel battery was playing upon ns." 

The forty-sixth regiment, Colonel Worthing- 
ton, formed a part of McDowell's brigade on 
the extreme left of our position. This brigade 
was not attacked at all, the purpose of the en- 
emy being to pierce the centre. At 9 o'clock 
a. fti., this brigade, passing the right flank of 
the enemy, commenced the attack about noon, 
and with great courage assisted in maintaining 
our position. Its loss was very heavy. The 
forty-sixth lost over two hundred killed and 
wounded. At 1 o'clock it was drawn off in 
order with the rest of the division, and partici- 
pated in the battle during the balance of the 
day and on Monday. The highest credit is 
given to Colonel Worthington for courage' and 
good conduct. Several brave men, whom I 
personally know, attest by their death the gal- 
antry of this regiment. 



achievements of this brigade are testified to by 
all who witnessed them. General Nelson, in 
whose -division he served, and several oiBcers. 
refer to it in glowing terras. The favorable 
mention of Colonel Ammen by General Nel- 
son is creditable alike to both. Here it is : 

" I desire to call the attention of the general commanding 
the army of the Ohio to the distinguished conduct of Colonel 
Jacob Ammeu, of the twenty-fourth Ohio volunteers, com- 
manding the tenth brigade. . The cool way and vigorous 
method in which ho fought his brigade, protecting all tho 
while the left flank of the army, gave me a profitable lessou 
n the science of battles." 

But I prefer to allow an officer of the twenty- 
fourth, the '' Cleveland Garibaldians," tell his 
own story. It is fully sustained by the official re- 
ports, and I cannot read it without expressing 
the deep obligations that our country will ever 
be under to our adopted fellow-citizens, espe- 
cially those of German birth. They have dis- 
tinguished themselves in every battle-field of 
the war. They were ^mong the earliest to ap- 
preciate the gravity and magnitude of the con- 
test. They have endured danger, fatigue, and 
death with an heroic courage that will forever 
deepen the shame of the favored rebels of the 
South, sons of our own soil, who have never 
known this Government except for the bless- 
ings it has given them, and for the honors it 
has heaped upon them. If the shadow of a 
prejudice ever lingered upon the mind of a na- 
tive American citizen, it should be dissipated 
forever by the courage and patriotism of those 
who, seeking a home among us, have labored 
in peace and with patient industry to develop 
our resources ; and now, in war, when our na- 
tional existence is threatened with overthrow, 
promptly assume the worst perils of war. But 
to return, I have an extract from a letter of an 
officer of company H, t^^enty fourth regiment : 

" The attack was terrible beyond description. Our regi- 
ment was for throe long hours engaged with throe regiments 
and one battery of the enemy. We advanced In a hail storm 
ofgrap^and Miuie balls and attacked tho enemy's cannon — 
they were ours. 

" The enemy retreated, and a shower of balls accompa- 
nied their flight; but they soon rallied. Our rcgime-it was 
but three hundred strong, and we were forced back; but 
we advanced and charged again, and were forced back 
again. When we were about being forced back tho last 
tkne, our captain , George Arnold, fell, struck in the shoulder, 
after he had during the whole day, in the most difficult and 
trying situations , shown himself a brave and efficient officer. 
Ho received a«l'earful, but I hope not mortal wound. Gen- 
eral Nelson came galloping up, and asked who silenced that 
battery over there, llie answer was, the twenty-fourth; 
whereupon he said 'You have done well, my boys; I love 
and honor every one of you.' The twenty-fourth aud nine- 
teenth Ohio, and thirty-second Indiana, (Willich,) received 
orders to charge bayouets, and victory was ours." 

Three regiments of Ohio troops served in 
the division of General Crittenden, and each 
with distinguished credit. The thirteenth Ohio, 
under command of Lieutenant Colonel Hawk- 
ins, and as a part of the fourteenth brigade, on 
Monday charged upon and took three pieces 
of the celebrated Washington battery of artil- 
lery. After spiking one of the guns and meet- 
ing with a severe loss, the enemy appealed in 
force, and succeeded, with fresh troops and su- 



porlor numliprg, in compelling them to fall I 
back four hundred yards. 

Later in the day, this regiment forming part | 
of a line of attack, charged upon, drove back | 
the enemy, and again captured the rebel bat- | 
tery which they had failed to hold in the morn- 
ing. This charge was brilliant and decisive, 
and the battery was held against repeated 
efforts of the rebels to regain it. The nineteenth 
Ohio, under Colonel Beaty, and the fifty ninth 
Ohio, under Colonel Fyffe, formed part of Gen- 
eral Boyle's brigade. He thus speaks of their 
conduct in the battle of Monday : 

" It is proper for mo to say to you that the two Ohio regi- 
ments in my brigade, the nineteenth Uhio, Colnnol j?amiiol 
Bcatty, and filty -ninth Ohio, Colonel J. T. Fyffe, won the 
character ol" hravo and gallant soldiers and otficers, in the 
great battle ol' Shiloh. I can safely say that all the Ohio 
troop:! in the ' army of the Ohio,' commanded by JIajor 
General Buell, won immortal renown for themselves and 
their State, and deserve the gratitude of the nation. The 
.soldiers of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, stood shoulder to 
sLoulder in this greatest battle of the continent, and have 
rendered historic the field of Shiloh, and crystalized their 
names in the fiery .ordeal of battle and rendered them im- 
mortal." , 

Six regiments of Ohio infantry and one bat- 
talion of cavalry served in the division of Gen- 
eral Lew, Wallace. It will be remembered 
that this division did not arrive on the battje 
ground until after nightfall of Sunday, and 
then took the extreme right of our army on 
Monday. The third brigade of this division 
was composed entirely of Ohio troops, under 
Colonel Whittlesey, and most of the second 
under Colonel Thayer. The march of this di- 
vision was a continuous advance, commencing 
with an artillery fight in the morning. The 
official report of General Wallace as to the 
conduct of the Ohio troops, and, indeed, as to 
all in his division, leaves but little to be said. 
I will read brief extracts : • 

" Here the fifty-eighth Ohio and twenty-third Indiana 
proved themselves fit comrades in battle, with the n^ble 
first Nebraska. Here also the seventy-sixth (Jhio won a 
brilliant fame. The first Nebraska fired away its last car- 
tridge. In the heat of the ac.ion,at a word, the seventy- 
sixth Ohio rushed in and took its place. Off to the right, 
meanwhile, arose the music of the twentieth and seventy- 
eighth Ohio, fighting gallantly in support of Thurber, to 
•whom the sound of rebel cannon seemed a challenge — no 
sooner heard than accepted. 

" From the time the wood was entered, 'forward ' was 
. the only order, and step by step, from tree to tree, position 
to position, the rebel lines went t)ack, never stopping .again 
— infantry, horse, and artillery, all wont back. The fh-icg 
was grand and terrible. Before us was the Crescent regi- 
me t of New Orleans; shelling us on the right was the 
Washington artiiliry , of Maiias.sas renown, whose last stand 
was in front of Colonel Whittlesey's command. To and fro, 
now in my front, then in Sherman's, rode General Beaure- 
gard, inciting his troops and fighting for his fading prestige 
of invincibility. The desperation of_the straggle may be 
easily imagined. 

'• Of my regiments, I find it impossible to say enough; ex- 
cepting the twenty-third and twenty-fourth Indiana and 
twentieth Ohio, they had all participated ^in the battle of 
Donelson. Bat this was a greater than Donelson, and con- 
sequently a more terrible ordeal in which to test what may 
be a thing of glory or shame — the courage of an untried 
regiment. How well they all behaved, I sum up in the 
boast — not a man, oflicer or so idler, flin-hed, none but the 
wounded went to the Landing. Ohio, Indiana, Missouri,aud 
Nebraska will be proua of the steadfast third division, and 
80 am I." 

The division of General McCook, himself a 
oitizen of Ohio, played a conspicuous part in 
the terrible tragedy of Monday. It arrived on 
the battle-field at five o'clock, a. m., having 
marched rapidly the day before, and most of 
the night. It was assigned a central position 
under the immediate comtuaQd of General 



Buell. It was composed chiefly of Ohio, Ken- 
tucky, and Indiana troops, most of them old 
regiments, well drilled and thoroughly efficient. 
The first, Colonel Parrrtt; fifteenth. Colonel 
Dickey; and forty-ninth. Colonel Gibson, are 
conceded to be among the best of our regiments, 
and are each commanded by young, active, 
zealous, intelligent officers. Three of them be- 
fore the war were lawyers, and all of them were 
engaged in the active pursuits of private life, 
with little, if any, knowledge of military affairs. 

In addition, there was the famous thirty- 
second Indiana regiment, under Colonel Willich. 
We cannot allow our sister State, bravely as 
she has borne herself in this war, to assume all 
the honor of this regiment. Colonel Willich is 
a citizen of Ohio, and a largre part, if not the 
greater part, of his men are from Ohio. 

Sir, it is a remarkable facf, that in this great 
struggle the three central States of Ohio, Ken- 
tucky, and Indiana did not observe the State 
lines in forming regiments. Ohio furnished 
large numbers of otHcers and soldiers to Ken- 
tucky, and Indiana and Kentucky contributed 
largely to several Ohio regiments. The ties of 
blood and marriage have bound them all, I 
trustf in an immortal Union; and in this great 
battle they fought with equal bravery, not only 
side by side, not only as parts of divisions and 
brigades, but as parts of reg^iments and com- 
panies. I will not follow these regiments 
through the incidents of the battle. They all 
wore the highest honors. General Sherman, in 
his official report, concedes to McCook's divis- 
ioH, formerly under his command in Kentucky, 
the highest praise: 

"Near General McC ernand's camp I saw, for the fiirst 
time, the well-ordered and compact column of General 
Buoll's ETentu ky forccs^_ whose soldierly mo 'ements at 
once gave confidence to our newer and less disciplined' 
forces . 

" Here I saw Willich's regiment advance upon a point of 
water oaks and thicket, behind which I knew the enemy 
was in great streugti*, and enter it in beautiful style. There 
arose the severest musketry fire I ever heard, and lasted 
some twenty minutes, when this splendid regiment had to 
fall back. 

"Willich's regiment had been repulsed, but the who'e 
brigade of .McCook's division a vanced, beautifully dep'oyed, 
and entered the dreaded woods. I ordered my second brig- 
ade, then coajmanded by F. Kerby Smith, (Colonel Stewart 
being wounded,) lo form on its right, and my fourth brig- 
ade,"Colonel Buck and, on the left, all to advance abre.ast 
with the Kentucky brigade before mentioned, which I after- 
wirds found to bo' Kousseau's brigade of General McCook's 
division. 

" I concede that General McCook's splendid division from 
Kentucky drove bdCk the enemy along the Cornth road, 
which was the great ceutre of the field of battle, where 
Beauregard commanded in person, supported by Bragg, 
Johnson, and Breckinridge's division.?." 

Sir, I doubt if the history of the war presents 
a more striking illustration of the power of a 
single well-disciplined regiment in a great bat- 
tle than is presented by the achievements of 
Colonel Willich. Attached to General Mc- 
Cook's division as a reserve, we hear of him 
first supporting the lefl of General Wallace's 
division on the right of the field ; then again or- 
dered " to advance to the support of General 
Rousseau's left, and to give the enemy the bay- 
onet as soon as possible;" then advancing into 
a thicket where the enemy was massed in force, 
sometimes repulsed but never defeated, always 
ready with the bayonet. Before such troops 
the enemy could do nothing but retreat or die. 
I know I will be pardoned in corAmenting 



upon the incidents of this battle, and in vindi- 
cating the honor of the State I represent, in re- 
cording the praise extended to an Ohio officer 
ill whose reputation I have a double interest — 
that of kindred and State. I do this the more 
freely as I have already quoted and commented 
upon his official action and report. I refer to 
General Sherman. General Grant, under whose 
immediate command he acted, says ; 

" I feel it a fluty, however, to a gallant aud able officer — 
IJrinadier General W. T. Sli-nnan— to make a special men- 
tion, lie not only was with his conimand during the entire 
of the two davs' actiou, hut displaycul great judgment and 
Hkill in the managerapnl of his men. Although severely 
wounded in the hand the llrst day, his place was uovor va- 
cant. He was again wounded, and had three horses killed 
under him." 

General Halleck, whose comprehensive mind 
has directed with admirable success military 
operations more extended and important than 
any in modern history since the fall of Bona- 
parte, writes to the Secretary of War: 

HEAI)QrARTKI{.« IlKlM RT.\rEXT OF MISSISSIPPI, 

I'lrKDURG, Tkxxessee, April ly, 1862. 

Sib: It is the unanimou.s opinion here that Brigadier Gen- 
eral W. T. Sherman saved the fortune ot the day 'm the 6th, 
and contributed :argely to the glorious victory of the 7lh. 
He was in the thickest of the tight on both days, having 
had three horses killed under him, and bo.ng surrounded 
twice. I respectfully request that he be made a major gen- 
eral of volunteers, to date from the 6lh instant. 

Very rcspectfullv, vour obedient serv-ant, 

H. W". HAIXF.CK, Major General Commanding. 
Hon. Edwix M. Stanton, Secretary of War. 

Sir, when the record of this war is made up, 
this battle will be regarded as among the most 
important, as it was the most bloody, thus far 
of the war. It may be that General Grant 
would have acted more wisely to have left his 
forces on the east bank of the Tennessee until 
reinforced by Buell ; but it must be remem- 
bered that he took his position before Beaure 
gard arrived at Corinth, and if he had retreated 
'and f-oas;ht shelter behiniJ a river, and yielded 
the right bank of the river to his enemy, a sin- 
{jle battery on the west bank would have cut off 
his supplies. What a shower of complaint 
would then have fall<?n on him! It may be 
that he did wrong in having General Wallace 
at Crump's Landing, so far from the support of 
the main army; but it must be remembered 
that point was equally necessary to be defended 
as Pittsburg Landing. It may be that Gene- 
ral Buell was too tardy in his movement to re- 
inforce General Grant ; but who can tell the 
difficulties to be overcome in a long march ? 
It may be, and I think it is true, that the com- 
manding officers believed, and acted upon the 
belief, that the enemy would not attack their 
position, but would await an attack at Corinth ; 
but in this they shared the common opinion of 
the whole country. It may be that proper pre- 
cautions were not taken against surprise ; but 
it now conclusively appears that all the terrible 
stories of men being bayoneted in their tents, 
of regiments scattering without a fire, are un- 
true or grossly exaggerated. We have no offi- 
cial information as to General Prentiss's divi- 
sion ; but as to that of General Sherman, on 
his right, it is conclusively shown there was no 
surprise in the sense in which that word is 
usually used. Every regiment was in line of 
battle before the enemy attacked. This is 
shown by the statement and report of every 
officer from whom we have heard. 



I have the highest authoiit} i(v • / '.£? that 
no officer or soldier was bayoneted % or near 
his tent, nor, indeed, does it appear that any 
were bayoneted on the field. The brigade sur- 
geon of one of the brigades said to be surpris- 
ed, reports that he has not seen a single bayo- 
net wound on a living or a dead person. The 
fifty-third Ohio, the first regiment attacked and 
broken, 1 have shown was in line of battle, lost 
no officer killed and but seven men killed. 
While the pickets were driven in between six 
and seven, a. m., the first attack was no't made 
until forty-five minutes past seven, a. ra. 

Gen. Sherman writes rae as to his division, that 

" Strong guards were out in front of each brigade, which 
guards were driven in on the morning of the battle, but be- 
fore the enemy came within cannon range of my position. 
Every regiment was under arms at posts I had previously 
assigned them ; tlic cavalry was saddled and artillery har- 
nessed, unlimbered, and commenced ti'-ing as soon as the 
enemy came in sight. Un Saturday I had no cavalry pick- 
els out, because 1 had no cavalry in ray division. General 
Grant had made a new assignment of cava ry.and artillery 
on Friiay. The Ohio fifth, \vhich had been with iTie, was 
ordered to Hurlbut, and eight companies of the fourth I li- 
uois, Coonel Dickey, assigned to me, did not gel into camp 
till near Saturday night, aud I ordered them under saddle 
at daylight. " 

From General Prentiss we cannot hear. He 
is a prisoner ; but I cannot but express my re- 
gret at the repeated attacks made upon him. I 
notice i*i a recent letter from an officer on Gen- 
eral Grant's staff, published in the Cincinnati 
Commercial, a statement, of which I will read 
an extract: 

" Prentiss is not here to make his report ; but the official 
report of an ulUcer has been made, who states that early on 
Sunday moruuig General Prentiss sent him out on the Cor- 
inth road, with two companies of skirmshers, to make rec- 
onuoissance of the enemy, who had been reported as ap- 
proaching in force. He met our pickets one mile beyond our 
lines, coming back to announce the enemy's apprtvach. The 
fact was duly reported to General Prentiss, and his Hue of 
battle was immediately formed; and up to three o'clock on 
Sunday afternoon his Hue remained unbroken. No rcgimeut 
of his command was captured untU after three o'clock on 
Sunday, at which time he himself was taken prisoner, with 
part of his command." 

If this be true, and their statements are ons- 
tained by the accounts of General Prentiss's 
capture in the rebel papers, it places a very 
different phase upon the action of that officer 
on Sunday morning fromthe accounts hereto- 
fore published. I am not here to defend Gen- 
eral Prentiss, but I cannot but express my sin- 
cere regret that brave officers are arraigned 
without trial and denounced with virulence 
perhaps by the very men who deserted their 
ranks, and seek to excuse their cowardice by 
indiscriminate abuse of those who stood their 
ground. And especially is this true of Gen- 
eral Grant, whose courage and patriotism can- 
not be questioned. This morning I read a long 
article in th^ Ohio State Journal, a paper of 
inTluence, in which the editor, safely secured 
in his sanctum, arraigns General Grant with 
great severity, lie asks, " where, when, and 
why were our three thousand troops and their 
general, Prentiss, taken prisoners without a 
blow?" Now, sir, it was well known that Gen- 
eral Prentiss, instead of falling without a blow, 
fought gallantly with the Illinois, Iowa, and 
Missouri volunteers under his command for 
many hours, and the only <iuestion ever made 
of either him or General Grant was whether 
they had taken proper precautions against sur- 
prise. Again the editor says : 



" Is it supposable that civilians, (who are presumed to 

ignoramuses in mililary matters,) will accept as satisfic- 
tory, the statement of a majur general in assuring tlirm 
that, • nothing could be more lalse ' than to ' talk about tljeir 
being surprised,' when our troops were attacked, bayonet- 
ed, and made ijrisoners in their knts ? " 

Now, sir, this entire statement is shown to be 
false by every report or statement made by those 
who kept in the advance, and was made only 
by and to excuse those who fled. Surely the 
press might give more credit to those in front 
who fought, rather than to those who tied. Are 
such attacks the reward of a brave officer for 
services rendered on the battle-field? If so, 
there can be but little motive for men to fight 
for their country. 

It may be that General Grant should have 
been with the main body of his forces, as he 
certainly would have been if he had known the 
.purpose of the enemy to attack in force; but 
as large reinforcements were then arriving at 
Savannah, and as it was his duty, as ranking 
officer, to dispose of them, it was not improper 
that he should be at Savannah. It may have 
been that raw troops were not the best to ex- 
pose to an imminent attack; but the whole of 
that army were raw volunteers, the severe 
schooling al^Fort Donelson being the ©nly les- 
son some of them had learned. The generals 
had no choice but to do the best with the force 
at their command. 

But whatever may be said of the position of 
the army, certain it is they won immortal honor 
by their courage and endurance. If regiments 
broke, they were rallied again ; if officers de- 
serted, otheis took their place; if cowards 
sifted into the rear and gathered under the 
banks of the river, brave men stood unappalled 
through the long and weary hours of a desper- 
ate and unequal contest. Nor was the contest 
barren of results. We must not only subdue 
rebels; we must teach them to respect us. We 
must do this not only by the display of over- 
whelming force, not only by the exhibition of 
a patriotism that will laugh at sacrifices to 
preserve our country, but we must exhibit those 
qualities of courage, endurance, and gallantry 
which in all ages have been the best guarantee 
for peace at home and abroad. We must dis- 
sipate forever the egotism of a narrow-minded 
caste of slaveowners who assume, with offensive 
insolence, superiority over a hardy, labor-loving, 
and liberty-loving people. I wish to see buried 
with the falleii sceptre of political power so long 
swayed by these rebels all their fals^ notions 
of superior courage. When they come back to 
us as common members of a political commu- 
nity, I wish them to come chastenad with the 
lessons of experience, fully convinced that 
neither their courage, their numbers, their cot- 
ton, nor their slaves can enable them to over- 
throw this Government. They have been 
taught this lesson often, but never more em- 
phatically than on this battle-field. 

Mr. President, I cannot dismiss this subject 
without stating briefly the part Ohio has tak^n 
in this war. Upon the authority of a gentle- 
man thoroughly conversant with the recruit- 
ment of our army, I affirm that Ohio has more 
soldiers in the field than any other State in 
proportioQ to its population ; that Ohio troops 



have fought in more battles in this war than 
those of any other State ; that they have won 
distinction in every battle fought west of the 
Alleghany, mountains. I claim for her or her 
volunteers no superiority over any other, as I 
can readily account for her interest in this war, 
not only from her patriotism, but from her cen- 
tral and exposed position. That I do not over- 
state her action 1 have had prepared an authentic 
statementof her troops now actually in the field. 

It appears that Ohio has now seventy seven 
regiments of infantry, six regiments and one 
squadron of cavalry, two regiments of artillery, 
anil sixteen batteries not included in regiments. 
Of these, all but five were full to the minimum 
of eight hundred and forty rank and file, when 
they left the State, and a number of them full 
to the maximum of one thousand men. The 
cavalry regiments numbered each twelve hun- 
dred rank and file. Thus it will be safe to say 
that Ohio has now seventy-five thousand men 
in the field. This force is scattered from Gen- 
eral Banks's corps, in Virginia, to New Mexico, 
in not less than eight States. Bat this is not 
all. The thirteenth Missouri, thirty-second 
Indiana, and at least three Virginia and Ken- 
tucky regiments are made of Ohio volunteers, 
and I know at least one company of Ohio 
volunteers in a New York regiment. 

At the outbreak of the rebellion, Ohio 
promptly responded to the call of the President 
for troops. The message of Governor Dennison 
to the citizens of the State calling for the im- 
mediate organization of thirteen regiments of 
infantry, was answered by eighty-seven thou- 
sand volunteers. Of these the Secretary of 
War would accept but thirteen thousand ; but 
Governor Dennison, having a better apprecia- 
tion of the nature of the contest, organized for 
the State nine other regiments. It was only 
a few days before the battle of Bull Run that 
the Government would recognise these regi- 
ments, although, in the meantime, they had 
won victories in Western Virginia. On the 18th, 
the first and second Ohio regiments were on 
their way to this city. A large portion of the 
remainder of the twenty-two regiments were 
placed under the command of General McClel- 
lan, and crossed the Ohio, entering Western 
Virginia on Monday the 26th of May, taking 
possession of Parkersburg and Grafton. In his 
address to his soldiers, General McClellan used 
the following language : 

" You are ordered to cross the frontier and enter on tho 
soil'or Virginia." * * "Remember each one of you 
holds in his keeping the honor of Ohio and of the Uuiou." 

How nobly and well they acquitted them- 
selves in the campaign in Western Virginia, it 
is necessary only to refer to the engagem^fijt^ 
there, in every one of which the .Ohio forc^w 
were either the sole or most prominent partici- 
pants. The first important battle, at Rich 
Mountain, was le^jon by portions of the eighth, 
tenth, and nineteenth Ohio rejriments, under 
command of Colonel (now General) Rose- 
cranz, who attacked the enemy, numbering 
from two to three thousand, strongly intrenched, 
putting them to flight, capturing their cannon, 
camp equipage, large number of wagons, &c. 
General McClellan, iu his official report, says : 



"We 

■VfOUlKlcd, 0/ 
der C'll'mJ Ito/cc 



3 have lost, in all, perhaps twenty killed and forty 1 equally conspicuous, service in Western Vir- 

v<X. of v:hnmaP hull wo or Ihrf.vu'.yti ill the column un- \ • • 

, v.'hk-h turned tlu j'dfUim:'' | ginia. 

And, sir, more important than all, our Ohio 
volunteeid hs.ve enatiled the Legislature of 
Kentucky to avoid many of the horrors of civil 
war, which, at one time, the traitorous faction 
of Breckinridge threatened to bring upon the 
people of that State. It is not too much to say 
that Kentucky is deeply indebted to Ohio for 
her rescue from the domination of the rebels in 
that State. The policy of the Governor of 
Ohio in preserving the peace of.^the border 
and cultivating the friendly intercourse between 
the citizens of the two States, deprived the 
rebels of the pretext that Ohio forces intended 
to invade her soil with hostile purpose, while 
his prompt response to the wishes and the ne- 
cessities of the Unionists of Kentucky in send- 
ing a large force into that State during the. 
session of the Legislature in Septenuber last 
overawed the traitors, and strengthened as well 
the Union sentiment of the people of Ken- 
tucky as the patriotic purposes of the Legisla- 
ture, in providing for the safety of the State 
against the designs of the rebels. 

Sir, I refer to these events, not with a view of 
disparaging the achievements of others, but to 
secure to the people of Ohio the just share of 
honor to which they are entitled. We ought 
always to regard our State organization with 
pride. It controls nearly all the relations which 
affect home, family,^kindred, property, and per- 
sonal rights. I trust never to see the States 
lose their importance in our system of Govern- 
ment. Although rebels have cloaked their 
treason with the pretense of defending State 
rights, by making the States independent of 
and superior to the United States, yet we ought 
not, therefore, to reduce them below their pro- 
per position, or impair in the least the atlection 
due from each citizen to his State. State pride 
and State rights are perfectly consistent with 
the higher allegiance we owe to the national 
Government. And, sir, the same sentiment 
which makes us sensitive for the honor of our 
State will excite us to preserve the honor and 
just authority of the United States. 

It is this love of nationality, the indefinable 
sentiment which animates us at the sight of our 
Hag, which kindles our blood when the national 
hymns break upon us,- which excites the pride 
and elevates the manhood of the brave and the 
timid, the young and the old alike ; it is this 
sentiment that now arms seven hundred thou- 
sand men, and makes twenty millions of people 
eager to make sacrifices of property and life 
lor their cfuntry. 

It is this love of nationality, founded upon 
the affection of our people for both the State 
and the General Governments, that I trust will 
carry us safely through this national trial, and, 
under the blessings of divine Providence, 
speedily bring us a permanent peace upon the 
true basis, the suprefmacy of each State for 
local purposes, and the indivisibility and unity 
of all the people of the United States in one 
Government, for the purposes prescribed by 
the Constitution. 



Next in order is the battle of C<irnck'-A Ford, I 
Virginia. It will be remembered that in this 
engcgement the rebel general, Robert S. Gar- 
nett, was killed. On the night of the 11th of 
July, the rebel army at Laurel Hill, under com- 
mand of General Garnett, evacuated in great 
haste upon learning of General McClellan's ap 
proach to Beverly. This latter point they were 
apparently endeavoring to pass before General 
I^icClellau should a'rrive, by a passage through 
the Cheat Mountain gap. The evacuation was 
discovered the following morning, when the In- 
diana troops took possession'of the rebel camp, 
while the Ohio fourteenth led on the advance 
in hot pursuit of the retreating rebels. In the 
pursuit the Ohio forces were conspicuous, 
marching over the rough mountainous country, 
heedless of the incessant rain, the almost im- 
passable roads, everything but duty. At Car- 
rick's Ford they led on the attack upon a force 
largely superior to their own, assaulted the 
enemy under a heavy fire from their masked 
batteries and small-arras, completely routing 
and putting them to flight. The entire loss sus- 
tained was in the fourteenth Ohio. 

Sir, these were among the earlier victories of 
the war; but they were important as lighting 
the gloom of the country over the disaster at 
Bull Run. When we look to the recent contests 
in the valley of the Mississippi, we pride our- 
selves upon the part our volunteers have taken 
in numerous well-contested battle-fields. At 
Somerset it was the bayonet charge of the ninth 
Ohio, under Colonel (now General) Robert 
McCook, that drove the enemy Irom the field, 
after the battle had been bravely contested by 
Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota volunteers. The 
. division of General Mitchell, composed chiefly 
of Ohio regiments, seven in number, has ren- 
dered the most important service to his country 
in a manner highly creditable to him and his 
command. Two Ohio regiments, the forty- 
eighth and fifty-eighth, shared in the honors at 
Fort Donelson. Four regiments, the twenty- 
seventh, thirty-ninth, forty-third, and sixty-third, 
served under General Pope in Missouri, New 
Madrid, and Island No. 10. Several regiments 
served with high credit under General Curtis, 
a native-born citizen of Ohio, in the battle of 
Pea Ridge, in the Ozark mountains of Arkan- 
sas. General Garfield, a volunteer officer, in 
whom we feel great pride, opened the cam- 
paign in East Kentucky by outwitting and 
thoroughly whipping my old friend, Humphrey 
Marshall. In every battle-field in the West we 
share with our sister States all the honors of 
^l^fRfe and victory. 

'^^ And, sir, I must not overlook one of the most 
' brilliant battles of the war, the recent one at 
Winchester, in which the fiAh, seventh, eighth, 
twenty-ninth, sixty-second^^ind sixty-seventh 
all took a distinguished part. The charge gf 
Col. Tyler has been regarded by several officers 
as among the most brilliant feats of the war. 

Several regiments of Ohio volunteers have 
also been rendering equally important, if not 



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